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“What are we doing here? Why was this so urgent?” she asks, following Mr. Brian and Charles who are leading the way.
“You’re here because we need your help, and I’m confident that you’ll keep your mouth shut,” Arthur replies.
She turns to Charles for help, but he refuses to look at her. He walks in front of her, shoulders hunched and head lowered. I’m pretty sure he knows why they’re here. And he doesn’t seem to like it either.
They turn left into a filthy inner courtyard. The windows of the surrounding buildings are either gaping black holes with broken glass or boarded up. There’s no one around. A perfect place to remain unseen.
“Are you going to tell me what’s going on?” Frida asks. Her voice sounds nervous, although she’s clearly trying to disguise her unease.
“We wait,” is all the answer she gets. “He’ll come.”
The minutes pass. Frida shuffles nervously from one foot to the other and rubs her arms as if she’s cold. Charles just stands there staring straight ahead with a fearful expression. It’s obvious that he’d rather be somewhere else.
Then a man enters the courtyard. He’s wearing a coat buttoned up to his throat against the cold. He has dark hair and pale eyes. “I agreed to this meeting for one reason only,” he begins.
“Because you had no choice,” Mr. Brian interrupts him. “Did you actually think we’d take you straight to the Council? First you need to show us that you’re serious and not a threat.”
“I told my key spirit to stay back, and I have no weapons on me,” he says, holding up his hands to show that he has nothing to hide.
“Who … who is this?” Frida asks.
The stranger frowns. “You didn’t tell her?” But he doesn’t wait for a reply. “My name’s Phil Kennwood.”
Mr. Brian rolls his eyes. “As if that’s relevant. It’s probably not even your real name.”
“I’m a Noctu,” Phil continues, addressing Frida. “I requested this meeting …”
I gasp. I remember that name. The murder case I wrote about in one of my history essays. Mr. Brian was really upset that I’d chosen that topic. The Phil Kennwood case was never solved. What did Arthur, Charles, and Frida have to do with it?
Phil doesn’t get to finish his sentence. Mr. Brian’s arm shoots forward as he transforms. He merges with his key spirit and flings a hex at the man. The blue sphere hits him in the gut and knocks him off his feet.
“Come on!” Mr. Brian urges Charles and Frida. “What are you waiting for?! He’s a Noctu!”
Charles doesn’t waste time and does as he’s told. He merges with his spirit and launches an attack at the man on the ground.
Kennwood scrambles to his feet and wipes blood from his mouth. “Fucking traitors! I should have known you couldn’t be trusted …”
Mr. Brian doesn’t let him finish and launches another attack, backed up by Charles. They hurl hex after hex at the Noctu, and Mr. Brian hisses angrily at Frida, “Don’t just stand there! Help us! You heard him. He’s our enemy. Come on, do something!”
She snaps out of her trance and sends odeon to her key spirit. But she doesn’t attack, and this doesn’t escape Mr. Brian.
“You answer to me, don’t forget that. What do you think the Council will say when they hear that you refused to help us in this fight?”
She bites her lip and raises her hands. Phil Kennwood glances at her. He shakes his head, but the hex is already flying at him. The flames leap up his legs. He tries to smother them, but then lumps of dirt and rock rain down on him. The ground quakes as the chunks bury him. Then a gesture from Mr. Brian makes the stones and dirt vanish into thin air.
“Go check if he’s still alive,” Mr. Brian commands Frida.
She hesitates and then does as she’s told. She cautiously bends over Phil. His eyes fixed on hers. He looks frightened, but something tells me it’s not death that he’s afraid of. His lips open slightly and manage a very faint whisper. “We wanted peace. A chance for a life without war for everyone. But this was a trap. You were never going to let me present my case to the Council. And now the war will go on forever.”
Frida stiffens. Her hands are trembling as she glances over her shoulder at Mr. Brian and Charles. She seems just as shaken by Phil’s words as I am. A peace offering? The Noctu wanted peace, and Mr. Brian thwarted it? Why? I recall the letter written by Kate’s mom when she was the library. She knew something about a terrible plan he was hatching. Was it this murder? Was she warning Mr. Brian not to commit it?
“We had a chance,” Phil murmurs, reaching for his key. He turns his head slightly and shakes it. I assume he’s trying to tell his spirit not to come to his aid. But any help would be too late anyway.
At that moment, a hex flies out of nowhere and lodges in Phil Kennwood’s chest. There’s a choking gurgle, and blood runs from the corner of his mouth. He stops moving.
“Alright. Problem solved!”
Frida looks at Mr. Brian as if he’s the devil incarnate.
